


New Beginnings

by RedParrot



Series: The Greater Good - Part Two [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: A/B/O, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/M, Gen, Light Angst, M/M, Mpreg, Omegaverse, Post Mpreg, Rutting, breech birth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:07:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24091828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedParrot/pseuds/RedParrot
Summary: After an evolutionary leap left women infertile but stronger, and split the males into three sexes, the world changed completely. Some countries thrived whilst some took an almost dystopian route. This story follows one family as they cope with a major change in the way they live their lives.The family deals with the decision to have the children returned to them as they welcome two more babies into the world.
Series: The Greater Good - Part Two [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1738087
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a follow on series of stories to 'The Greater Good' which I finished a while ago. It picks up a few months later.   
> If you have not read 'The Greater Good' it focuses on the Thornton family which consists of two Alpha males (Danny and Jamie), a younger Omega male (Sammy), and a Beta male (Clive) who live together with Meg who fights for male rights. 
> 
> This story re-introduces all the main characters as they come to terms with a major change in their lives. 
> 
> I have a rough arc planned out and intend to show the ups and downs of their lives over several stories touching on a variety of topics.

Daniel had already sensed the change in his mate but chose not to question him. He knew Sammy would let him know when he was ready. They had known it would be any day, they had the bag ready by the door, an unwelcome reminder of the traumatic previous time. 

Meg had gone off to work that morning with a knowing smile, she may not have been able to sense the changes in the same way that the males could, but she knew it was imminent. She had kissed Sammy on the top of his head and raised an eyebrow at Daniel as she walked to the door.

He knew Meg would have liked to have been with the family, but her work was important, and she was in charge of the department. She had made it clear from the start that they would not get any preferential treatment, they would have to wait their turn. Waiting their turn had actually gone in their favour. Much as they were looking forward to the return of the children, they were also having to deal with the now very imminent birth of two more. 

Sammy had not suffered any issues during his pregnancy and now that he was showing the early stages of labour, he was quietly pottering around getting himself ready. Daniel was sitting in the kitchen with Jamie, the anticipation threatening to overwhelm him. His first children were soon to be born. 

Jamie had taken great delight in being the knowledgeable one for once. His friend, who Daniel thought of as a brother, was several years younger than him. But Jamie had been far luckier. He had fathered at least three children. Daniel had been on the verge of being too old to become a father when his little Omega had fallen pregnant by him. The joy of the occasion had been heightened by the announcement that major changes were to be made to how children were dealt with. It had been a lot to take in, but they were starting to come to grips with the big changes to their lives. And the birth of his twins was only going to be the start of it. 

‘Have you picked out names yet?’ asked Jamie, looking up from the crossword he was filling in. 

Daniel looked at his coffee, wondering if he would have time for another before Sammy was ready.

‘We’ve come up with names but wanted to wait until… you know… after.’

Jamie nodded, ‘I understand. He’s nervous, but the babies are smaller, and he knows what to expect… he’ll be fine…’ Jamie smirked before continuing, ‘it’s you I’m worried about.’

Daniel nodded, ‘yeah, I’m bloody terrified.’

‘And you get to keep them as well,’ remarked Jamie staring off into the distance. ‘That’s going to be so weird. Even more so when we get Henry back and Mary and Brian and…’

Jamie paused, blinking a few times as the memory of the loss of their previous Omega bubbled to the surface.

Daniel reached out and laid his hand over Jamie’s wrist, ‘I know.’

There had been an unwritten rule between the two of them that they would not mention Liam. The Omega had died whilst carrying Jamie’s babies. The death had happened behind closed doors. None of them, not even Meg, knew what had happened or if the babies had survived. That question would be answered over the coming months. 

Daniel had been devastated at the loss of his Omega. He had not fathered any children with Liam but the two were close. It was usual for one of the Alpha males in the family to be closer to the Omega, a hang-up of their monogamous past. The loss of Liam and the lack of any information about the babies had been a blow for both the Alphas.

But then Sammy had arrived, fresh from the Omega home and terrified of the two big Alphas he would have to share his heats with. That day did not seem very long ago. The four years had passed quickly. And now they were about to start a new chapter in their lives. Sammy’s babies would not be taken from them to be brought up in a home and their previous children would be returned to them. They were going to be moving to a new house to accommodate their larger family and Meg was starting a new career as a government minister in a new role to oversee the repatriation of the children. Daniel wondered how it would all unfold.

‘It’s daunting, isn’t it?’ said Jamie, who was watching him. 

Daniel realised he had been staring off into the distance as he contemplated their lives. 

‘The births? Or generally everything?’ asked Daniel with a smile.

‘I think we should take it one step at a time,’ said Jamie. ‘Babies soon… probably a few hours from now… new house… Henry coming back to us…’

Daniel smiled, ‘one step at a time.’

They both looked up when they heard Sammy shuffle past the door trying not to waddle too much. They watched him unzip his hospital bag and rummage around for a few seconds before pausing and holding his rounded stomach as a contraction gripped him. He breathed out slowly as the pain subsided then went back to his rummaging. Once satisfied, the Omega zipped the bag back up and turned towards the kitchen, he stopped when he saw the two Alphas watching him.

‘Well come on then Daddy Danny,’ Sammy said with a smirk.

Daniel slid off the kitchen stool and walked across to his mate.

‘You ready? Got everything you need?’

Sammy nodded with a smile before pointing at his feet, ‘apart from shoes. I need shoes… but it’s too much like hard work to try bending enough to put them on so one of you two can do it for me.’

Jamie chuckled, ‘ah,’ he said. ‘The lowly Alpha tending to his lord and master the Omega.’

Daniel eased his mate into a chair as Jamie pulled the laces loose on the trainers and slipped them over Sammy’s feet.

‘I’ll drive you over so you can sit with him in the car,’ suggested Jamie, glancing up at Daniel who knew he looked a little like a rabbit caught in the headlights. ‘I’ll leave the car and walk back.’

‘Thanks,’ said Daniel with a nod. 

Jamie grabbed the bag and pulled the front door open wide for Daniel and Sammy. 

Daniel helped his mate towards the car and their new future.

~A~B~O~

Daniel was impressed with Oscar the older Omega nurse who appeared to have seen it all and not been bothered by anything. His calm approach had put Daniel at ease as soon as they entered the delivery room. Oscar had even guided Daniel to the bed and given him a gentle shove when he had not moved from the doorway for several seconds. 

‘It’s his first time,’ Sammy said as he settled himself in front of Daniel. ‘My second, but the first was a difficult birth.’

Oscar smiled, ‘I’ve read your notes,’ he said. ‘Single births are always a little tricky. You were lucky… and I can guess why you refused a caesarean.’

Oscar looked at Daniel who nodded, ‘Sammy risked his life for me,’ he said squeezing his little Omega slightly. ‘If he’d had a caesarean and not been able to have any more babies my chances at fatherhood would have been gone.’

‘As it was…’ Sammy said, pausing for a few seconds as a contraction distracted him, ‘we were on our last chance when I got pregnant with these.’

Sammy rested his hand on his rounded stomach.

‘And you get to keep them,’ remarked Oscar. ‘Are you ready for that? I’ve worked in the homes with babies and children and some of them are quite hard work.’

‘We’re ready,’ said Daniel.

Oscar nodded with a smile before going back to his work. Daniel felt Sammy tense up a little as Oscar performed an intimate examination. 

‘Shouldn’t be long, the first one will be here in a few minutes.’

Oscar rested his hand on Sammy’s knee for a few seconds as a fresh contraction washed over him.

‘That was a big one,’ Oscar remarked. ‘Now, the plan is that there won’t be a doctor as the births should be routine. The only reason you're here is because of the difficulties you had last time. If you become distressed, I’ll call a doctor in. The only time you’ll see a doctor is after the births. She’ll give you a quick examination and then give you the all-clear to leave. Otherwise, it’s just the three of us… well soon the five of us.’

Daniel nodded, pleased they would not have to put up with a woman trying to dictate what they did. The doctor at the birth of Sammy and Jamie’s son had been very dismissive of them all. She had been more interested in saving the baby even if it meant leaving Sammy infertile or worse. 

As Oscar got ready for the births Daniel looked around the room. He could not remember what the room was like where Sammy had given birth to Henry. He was too preoccupied with Sammy at the time. The room they were in was plain, as most hospital rooms were. There were a few attempts to make it pleasant with pastel walls and a clutch of cuddly toys arranged on the windowsill. There was one bed with a couple of machines next to it, and two wheeled cots waiting by the wall. Oscar had laid out a few instruments on a table that sat against the wall next to the machines, Daniel had no idea what the instruments were. An oversized scale was also on the table, waiting to record the weight of each of the babies.

Sammy tensed up as another contraction gripped him. Daniel held his Omega tightly, offering what reassurances he could. 

‘One big push and she’ll be here,’ said Oscar.

Daniel firmly held his little Omega as he worked. Daniel felt a little useless, all he could do was keep his mate calm. He had asked Jamie what he was supposed to do for Sammy. Jamie had shrugged his shoulders and told him he would know when he was there, but mainly just to be there for his mate when he was at his most vulnerable. 

Sammy suddenly went limp in Daniel’s arms, sending waves of fear through the Alpha for a few seconds before the Omega roused himself and sat up a little.

‘Well done,’ said Oscar who was busy cutting the umbilical cord of Daniel’s first child. 

Oscar held up the wriggling infant for a few seconds. Daniel felt tears in his eyes. All the worry over the years the heartache he had gone through when he was convinced, he would never be a father disappeared. He had never felt such overwhelming joy in all his life and the fact that he would not have to watch as the baby was ripped away after a few months by the authorities only added to his elation. 

He had a daughter. And, with luck, she would grow up to see the sexes as equals not be taught the skewed idea that women were superior because they were more intelligent and stronger. Women could not procreate and yet they had taken the position of power through force.

Daniel was snapped from his thoughts of the very different future when Sammy whimpered a little. Oscar returned to them after gently laying the first baby in one of the cribs. He felt Sammy’s stomach for a few seconds pressing 

‘The second baby's breech,’ said Oscar, ‘this is very common, and can be easily sorted.’

Sammy nodded; Daniel could sense the fear his mate was feeling. He held him closer and nuzzled at the back of his neck. Jamie's words echoed in his mind - he would know what to do. The fear subsided a little, Daniel did not feel as useless anymore. 

‘This will be uncomfortable,’ said Oscar. ‘I’m going to turn the baby, if I can, much better and safer if we can get her turned.’

Daniel watched as Oscar slipped one hand between Sammy’s legs again in a similar way to the intimate examination and firmly pushed on Sammy's distended stomach. The Omega whimpered again.

‘I know, Sammy,’ said Oscar calmly, Daniel could feel the calmness, it was why Omega were good at midwifery and nursing in general.

A stifled yelp from Sammy made Daniel clutch his mate a little tighter.

‘All done,’ said Oscar. ‘Now I want you to give a big push on your next contraction.’

Daniel clutched Sammy’s hand; he could feel Sammy squeezing him as he pushed through the contraction.

‘One more.’

A second contraction followed quickly before Sammy went limp again. Daniel kissed his mate’s temple and held him close. It took Sammy a few seconds to get his senses back the second time. 

‘And this,’ said Oscar holding up the grumpy looking baby, ‘is your second daughter. Did you know you were getting two girls?’

Daniel nodded, ‘the sonographer told us.’

‘That one,’ said Sammy pointing a shaky hand at the second baby, ‘is going to be called Rachel. She has to be Rachel because she’s already been stubborn.’

Daniel laughed, ‘Meg will love having one of them named after her.’

Oscar looked confused.

'Meg is our friend. Her first name's Rachel, but she goes by her middle name. We thought it would be confusing to name the baby Megan,' explained Daniel. 

‘Rachel Thornton? The new minister for repatriation… is she a friend of yours?’

Sammy nodded, his eyes following Oscar as he gently lay baby Rachel in a large plastic pot over the scales.

‘We live with her, or she lives with us. We live together,’ concluded Daniel.

Oscar looked impressed, ‘she’s done a good thing. You should be proud of her. And this little wriggler,’ he nodded towards the baby on the scale, ‘is a perfect thank you.’

Daniel felt Sammy getting heavy in his arms.

Oscar glanced over, ‘he’ll probably sleep for a few minutes, it’s quite normal. He has just been very busy. I’ll clean the girls up and when he wakes up, we can have a go at getting them fed. Did he feed his first baby?’

Daniel nodded.

Oscar wrote something on one of the hospital bracelets and slipped it around Rachel’s tiny wrist. He picked up a second bracelet and paused. 

‘Isabelle,’ said Daniel. ‘That’s her name. No significance to that one, we just both liked it.’

Oscar wrote the name down with a smile, ‘a pretty name,’ he said as he put the bracelet on the first baby.

~A~B~O~


	2. Chapter 2

‘Meg?’

‘Yes Sarah,’ said Meg after pushing the answer button on her phone.

There was a pause before her secretary responded.

‘I think the babies have arrived, I’ve got Jamie on the phone,’ she paused again. ‘I’ll just put him through.’

‘Thanks,’ said Meg with a smile. 

She had known it would happen when she was stuck at work. When she had left that morning, she had wished she could have taken the day off to be with her family. But the work she was doing was vital with near-constant deadlines to meet. The senior ministers were very demanding, she was lucky there were a couple of progressive women who were in the cabinet and prepared to warn the more conservative ministers off. 

‘Hi Jamie,’ she said when she heard the phone click through. ‘Did it all go OK?’

‘Yeah,’ said Jamie, ‘Danny just rang from the hospital, they’re being discharged already. Once Sammy had given them each their first feed, they were told they could go. Danny’s thrilled; I don’t think I’ve ever heard him sound so happy. Both the girls are healthy, and Sammy didn’t have any issues either.’

Meg sighed with relief, ‘I think we’re all happy,’ she said. ‘I’ll try to get off early but can’t guarantee it. I’ve got a meeting with Sondra Meering in a few minutes and she goes on and on sometimes, but at least she is on my side.’

Jamie chuckled, ‘you’ll have them all turned into progressives soon,’ he said. ‘I’ll let you get on. See you later.’

Meg pushed the ‘end call’ button and leaned back in her chair with a smile. A movement at the door caught her eye. Sylvie was leaning on the door frame watching her, she was grinning. 

‘Don’t you know it’s rude to eavesdrop?’ said Meg with mock annoyance.

‘Don’t leave your door open then,’ replied Sylvie as she wandered into the room and sat in one of the chairs on the other side of Meg’s desk.

‘You’ve had your hair done,’ said Meg as she tried to see her friend's braided hair. 

Sylvie twisted in the seat so that Meg could see the tight cornrows that crisscrossed her head.

‘Fancied a change,’ said Sylvie nonchalantly. ‘Now, tell me all about the babies.’

Meg laughed, ‘there’s nothing to tell, Jamie literally told me they’ve been born, and everyone is healthy. They’re being discharged so should be home by the time I get there.’

Sylvie frowned, ‘why aren’t you there now? Take the rest of the day off.’

‘Can’t, got Meering coming in a few minutes to talk about housing.’

Sylvie pulled a face, ‘you know she fancies you… I’m sure that’s the only reason she’s gone all progressive.’

Meg rolled her eyes, ‘she does not fancy me, she’s about twenty years older than me and already lives with two other women.’

Sylvie shrugged, ‘whatever you say, dear,’ she said with a slightly patronising tone. 

‘Now bugger off, I’ve got to get ready for her arrival,' said Meg, keeping her expression neutral. 

Sylvie pushed herself to her feet with a sullen glance before leaning forward over the desk, leaning low enough that Meg could not help but glance at her ample cleavage.

‘You know if you ever want to get away from all your menfolk, there’s a nice warm spot next to me at my place.’

Meg raised her eyebrows at her friend before responding. 

‘Bugger. Off.’

Sylvie remained where she was for a few seconds before blowing her a kiss, wrinkling her nose, and straightening up.

‘I will change your mind one day,’ she said as she turned away and left the room with an exaggerated swing of her hips. 

Meg sighed, she liked Sylvie, she had even fancied her for a bit, but her inclinations had changed. But she could not tell anyone, not even her best friend. She could not tell anyone that she was regularly sleeping with a Beta male. The taboo nature of such a liaison would send shockwaves through the government. It was not illegal to sleep with Beta males; it was just not the done thing. Women did not take male partners. Not since the evolutionary leap. Males were needed for procreation. Some women did take Alpha males as escorts, the Alpha males could make good money selling themselves but there could not be any long-term relationship. The Alpha was needed by his Omega. 

Beta males were unable to procreate, they were rare and were considered third-class citizens to most women. There had been a move to euthanise all Beta male babies as soon they presented, thankfully that Parliamentary Act had been voted down hours before it was due to be made legal. 

Most of the Beta males lived away from the rest of society apart from the ones that offered themselves as surrogate Omega to Alphas on the odd occasion they went into their rut and could not mate with an Omega and did not want to deal with the rut alone. That was how Clive had come to live with them. Clive was a sweet, kind, gentle soul who had not deserved to be abused. Meg shook her head with disgust as she recalled the Beta being dumped outside their house after he had been to help an Alpha male who had proceeded to rape him. It had taken Clive a long time to regain his confidence. Time and a few glasses of wine. Meg smiled; the happier memory of their first time together was something she would always treasure. They had both been a little tipsy, Clive had been a little hesitant, but they had enjoyed themselves. Meg found the sex better with Clive than with the couple of Alpha’s she had hired years before.

Now they were secret lovers. Not even the rest of the family knew neither of them wanted to cause them to worry about what they were doing. And that secrecy meant that Meg could not outright tell her flirtatious friend that she was already spoken for and was not interested in a threesome. Meg wondered what Sylvie would make of the taboo relationship. Would she be shocked? Would she even be bothered? Meg did not want to take the risk; it was better for no one to know.

‘Megan,’ said Sondra Meering as she swept into the room.

Meg acknowledged her secretary's attempt to stop the minister from simply walking in before reaching across the desk to shake Sondra’s hand. 

‘Now,’ said Sondra as she settled herself and pulled out an electronic notepad and stylus. ‘Let’s talk homes… big homes, for all these children you want to release.’

Sondra winked with a smile.

Meg was about to speak when her phone buzzed. Sondra laughed and indicated for her to take the call. 

‘Megan Thornton,’ she said after pushing the 'answer' button.

‘Minister,’ came a voice she could not place initially. ‘We need to meet up to discuss employment. It’s inevitable that the Omega are going to want to raise their offspring, I believe that’s what the birth parents did before the leap - although who knows why? Noisy things babies-’

Meg remembered the voice belonged to the Minister for Omega Affairs. A short dumpy woman who would probably like all the males to be kept in breeding facilities.

‘-so, we’re going to be left with a lot of jobs that will need filling. Jobs that we can’t be letting the Alpha do. I trust you have a plan in place. This is your idea, after all, you can’t expect everyone else to deal with this mess.’

‘Minister,’ said Meg when she finally got a chance to speak, ‘I have you pencilled in for a meeting tomorrow. I have already come up with several proposals-’

‘Good. I will see you then. Good afternoon.’

Meg stared at the phone for a few seconds before looking up at Sondra who was still smiling, lipstick was staining her front teeth. Meg decided not to tell her.

‘You don’t get any peace, do you?’ she said. ‘What are you planning for the vacant jobs?’

Meg sighed, ‘I’ve got a few ideas, the one I hope they will go for is to utilise the Beta males. They have many of the attributes of the Omega and could then be considered more useful members of society.’

She had to hide a smile as Sondra hesitated a fraction of a second too long before nodding her head approvingly. Meg knew that Sondra had, years before, been one of a small number of Ministers who wanted the Beta Euthanasia Act to be looked at again. Now that Sondra was busy trying to flirt with Meg she could not allude to her past ideas. 

‘That’s a good idea,’ was the rather staid response Sondra managed before pasting her ever-present smile back on and tapping at her notepad, the stylus being pressed a little too firmly. 

‘Yes,’ continued Meg, who was beginning to enjoy herself, ‘I intend to propose that Beta males be given the same rights as the Omega and Alpha, they are a lost resource for this country. We need to look at how they are utilised in other countries. I think we could learn a lot from the countries that have always allowed the children to stay with their fathers and have never shunned the Beta males. They are, after all, equivalent to women in many ways.’

Sondra visibly bristled at the remark, Meg wondered if she had put the woman off her continued advances with her liberal views. 

Meg decided she was going to enjoy her meeting after all. 

~A~B~O~

_A couple of days later… ___

__Jamie threw his head back and sighed with satisfaction, the release after the build-up felt good. He lay back for a few seconds panting. He had waited as long as he could, but the aggression had reached a point where he had needed to deal with his rut before he lost control. It was the first time he had gone through a rut on his own since he had been a teenager._ _

__The cruelty of the evolutionary leap and the manner that the families were created by the ruling women conspired together to leave him sitting in his room masturbating as his mate and his best friend looked after their new babies. Obviously, Jamie was thrilled for Daniel to finally have the babies he had so desperately wanted, and needed, over the years. Poor Sammy had looked so guilty when Jamie had not very subtly wandered off towards the stairs. He had told them he might be a while. They all knew he was in rut, he had managed to break a plate earlier in the day when he got a little worked up and he was starting to worry he might say something he did not mean to one of the family._ _

__Now that he had dealt with his needs, at least for the time being, he could relax a little. The frustrated feelings, the bubbling Alpha aggression was sated for a while. He knew he would need to deal with himself a few more times before the rut faded. Where an Omega would be very ill if he did not mate during his heat, an Alpha could deal with his rut alone. Some Alphas’ would hire Beta males to fuck, but Jamie did not want to fuck a stranger. Clive had offered his services, but Jamie could not bring himself to have sex with his friend. He was fairly sure Daniel had taken Clive up on the offer the last time he had to deal with a rut on his own, but it was not something Jamie could face. No, he would deal with it on his own. They all knew what he was doing and would leave him to it and let him have his privacy._ _

__With his breathing back to normal Jamie pushed himself off the bed and cleaned himself up a bit. He could not help a smile when he looked at the little parcel of personal cleaning products that had appeared in his room at some point during the day. He guessed either Sammy or Clive had slipped into his room with the dampened towels and lubricant when he had been mowing the lawn. Rather like they all knew when Sammy was going into labour, they had all sensed his rut reaching its peak. Jamie liked that the family was attuned to each other's needs._ _

__He wondered where they would be the next time, he had his rut. Sammy and Clive had been looking at various houses on the internet over the previous few days. They had even booked up to visit a couple. Once he was finished with his rut, they would all pile into the car and start looking. Meg and Daniel had insisted that the whole family should choose the house. Although Meg had told them that as long as she had a bedroom and somewhere, she could work she was not too bothered with anything else. The only thing she had asked was that the new house was not more than an hour commute for her to get to work._ _

__Daniel had asked that they pick somewhere with a garden big enough for him to have his workshop so that he could continue to run his carpentry business. And Clive had asked for the room to start a new vegetable patch._ _

__They had all accepted early on that some of the children, once they were all returned, would have to share rooms, but hoped that they could find somewhere with big enough bedrooms so that it did not become an issue. Although the children would have been sleeping in small dormitories in the homes so would be used to sharing._ _

__Money was something that had not been a problem. They knew they were lucky, having a woman living with them meant that between them they brought in a better wage than a lot of families. Meg had received a pay rise and had sold her story to a couple of news outlets. Most of the money she had made had gone to charities that furthered Male Rights, but she had put a portion into the pot for the new house._ _

__A fair lump of the money had been supplied by Jamie himself, something he had never thought he would be able to do. Although it was not really his money, his redundancy payment from his former boss had been considerably more than he should have been due. It was true that an employer could choose to pay above the odds but that was a very unusual occurrence. But Jamie’s former boss was a bit unusual. She was a closeted progressive woman who also undertook some business transactions which were most likely illegal. Donna had told him a few weeks after Sammy had announced his second pregnancy that she could no longer keep him employed. He had been shocked; she had told him very firmly it was nothing he had done wrong and that she would write him a glowing reference. She could not keep him employed because she did not want anything that she did to become a tool that the non-progressive women could use against Meg. If the new Minister for Child Repatriation was found to have links with a woman who made dodgy deals it would not look good. Donna had told him he would get a generous redundancy; she had not told him how much it would be. They had all been stunned when it appeared in the family’s joint bank account. Meg had contacted Donna to ask if she was sure about the amount, Donna had told her the money had come out of a legitimate sale and she had all the documents to prove it. They would be able to afford a house big enough to meet all their requirements._ _

__Jamie felt the need to mate building within him again. He longed to be with Sammy, but his mate was not in heat, not so soon after the birth of the twins. And although Sammy would probably have helped him through the Omega was still too tired, the need to feed and tend to his babies was more important than helping his other Alpha. And Jamie did not begrudge him that. Sammy and Daniel deserved to be happy._ _

__Jamie could cope on his own._ _


	3. Chapter 3

Clive scrolled through the news stories on his phone, not really paying much attention, the political wrangling was not something that interested him. He moved on to a gossip site that had a headline about an actor who had been caught stealing, there was a clip of the handsome Alpha being led away by a couple of police officers. The arrest probably would not cause any harm to his bad-boy image.

He looked up as he sensed a wave of relief from Jamie. The rutting Alpha had been tense for several hours, Clive had been at the point of telling him to go and deal with himself when he had finally made his way to his bedroom. 

Poor Sammy had looked very guilty at not being able to help his mate. Jamie had told him in no uncertain terms that he was to concentrate on the babies and that he would be fine. 

Clive had spoken to his friend earlier in the day, offering to sleep with him, but Jamie had refused. Clive had made sure Jamie knew he would be there if he changed his mind. And, just in case that happened Clive had quietly climbed to the top of the stairs and settled himself on the top step across the landing from Jamie’s room. He had decided he would wait a little longer before returning to the lounge, long enough to be sure his friend was coping on his own. 

Meg appeared at the bottom of the stairs holding two mugs. She carefully carried them up, handing the green tea to him as she settled next to him and sipped at her coffee. She sat close enough for their shoulders to be touching. He leaned into her a little.

‘You OK?’ he asked, ‘you’ve been putting in some long hours.’

‘Yeah,’ replied Meg, ‘but it’s worth it and I’m enjoying it. There’s some bitchy women who want to see me fail, but I’ve got enough on my side that we can deal with them.’

Meg put her mug down watching it for a few seconds to make sure it did not tip over on the ill-fitting carpet. She turned to Clive and leaned in for a kiss. Clive smiled as he felt her warm lips on his before hissing as he spilt a few drops of his tea over his hand. Meg giggled, she took his hand and kissed it. 

‘All better?’ she asked mockingly.

Clive chuckled, ‘you know we might get some alone time when the boys and Sammy go to register the babies. I know Jamie wants to go with them, sort of a protective pack member thing.’

‘When are they doing that?’ asked Meg with a hungry look in her eyes.

‘Once Jamie’s finished his rut, next couple of days I guess.’

Meg smiled, ‘I will try to arrange all my meetings so that we can have a meeting of our own.’

She was about to lean in for another kiss when they heard someone approaching from downstairs. Sammy quietly climbed the stairs and squeezed past them both.

‘He’ll be very confused if he finds you both sat here,’ remarked Sammy with a nod to Jamie’s door. 

‘I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to change his mind,’ said Clive quietly.

‘At least he’s got the option,’ said Meg, ‘not sure if it would be better to fuck someone you know or not in that circumstance.’

Clive shifted slightly the distressing images of his time as a surrogate and the rape he endured coming to the front of his mind. Meg realised what she had said and shook her head.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘I speak before I think sometimes.’

Sammy rubbed Clive’s shoulder for a few seconds, Clive could feel the healing vibes the Omega gave off.

‘It’s OK,’ he said, ‘it was a long time ago.’

Sammy smiled before wandering off to his room, ‘I want to get them fed again before they start to cry, I don’t want them to disturb Jamie.’

Clive and Meg watched him quietly open his bedroom door and slip inside to see to his babies. 

‘I wonder,’ said Meg in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood, ‘if we could get rooms with an adjoining door? We could have our liaisons without having to plan it around everyone else being out.’

Clive smiled, ‘I like that idea. Our new home needs to suit all of us.'

The clandestine nature of their relationship meant that they had to plan their time together around the rest of the family. Moving to a bigger house would certainly give them the chance to get away from the rest of the family without them noticing more often. 

‘Sylvie made a pass at me today,’ said Meg as she sipped her coffee, holding the warm mug in both hands, her elbows resting on her knees. 

Clive knew why she was not looking at him, she probably did not want him to see that she felt guilty. 

‘You are an attractive woman, Meg,’ Clive pointed out. ‘I mean, I fancy you.’

Meg smirked for a second before sobering and looking at him, ‘I know she wants to sleep with me, we came close a few times a while ago, but it never happened. I’ve managed to brush her off… but I don’t really have an excuse… she knows I used to fancy her…’

Clive thought for a moment, ‘you could tell her about our relationship.’

Meg shook her head, ‘I don’t know how she’d react. She might be fine… but she might not.’

‘The trouble it would cause you at work,’ said Clive, ‘it could affect a lot of people.’

Meg nodded sadly, ‘I can only fix one thing at a time.’

Clive put his arm around her and pulled her close, he kissed her on the top of her head, ‘and I love you for all that you do. Even if it means we have to be secret about our affair.’

‘Our affair,’ chuckled Meg.

~A~B~O~

Sammy looked at his twins as he undid his shirt. Isabelle was looking back at him, her bright eyes focused on him. When he had been pregnant with Henry, he had read up on what babies had been like before the evolutionary leap. He had been astounded at how long the babies took to be independent. His twins would be weaned after three or four months. He had disliked it when Henry had switched to solid food, it had felt as though he was not as important to the baby any longer. He was not the exclusive provider. Sammy guessed the loss he had felt was also because he had known that Henry would be taken from them. 

The memory of that horrible day still haunted him, the women pushing their way into the house and simply taking the screaming baby from his arms as he sat frozen with fear. 

But that was not going to happen with Isabelle and Rachel. He would be able to keep his twins now that the law had been changed. 

He reached into the cot and picked Isabelle up, her blue eyes darted about the room for a few seconds before looking back at him. The baby latched onto him quickly. He enjoyed the contented feeling he got as she fed. He settled into the rocking chair that Daniel had made, gently pushing himself back and forth, making soothing sounds to his daughter. 

Sammy let his mind wander as Isabelle fed. He could sense the relief in Jamie as he dealt with his rut on his own. The poor Alpha had been trying not to show how much his impending rut had been affecting him, but they had all known. Sammy had been proud of Clive for offering to help Jamie through. It annoyed him that he could not be with his mate, but he was not in heat and had to feed his babies every few hours, it would not have been practical. 

He wondered what it would be like when he went into heat the next time. When the rest of the children had been returned to them. He hated to admit it, but he was a little nervous about dealing with the other children. He knew the rest of the family would help, but both Rachel and Daniel had their work, and Jamie was bound to find employment again soon. That would leave just him and Clive looking after seven children. The babies would be fairly easy to deal with to start with, but they would all grow up. 

Meg’s department had started to produce lots of information about childcare and development. He and Clive had spent a lot of time looking at the websites and reading the literature. Daniel had told them he would make toys. It was going to be a team effort, Sammy had to remind himself that he only had to ask, and the others would help him. He was not going to be alone dealing with the children. 

He wondered what Henry would be like. He had only been twelve months old when he had been taken. By the time they got him back, he would probably be two and a half. He would be walking and talking. Would Henry know Sammy? Would he know Jamie? Would they know him? 

Isabelle squirmed a little as she finished feeding. Sammy lifted her up to his shoulder and patted at her back gently, the movements felt natural, he barely had to think about what he was doing. 

Knowing what to do with the children was something else they had wondered about. Would Sammy and the Alpha’s instinctively know how to deal with the children? The countries that had always kept the babies with their families did not need training in raising infants. Would that primal knowledge help them when they were suddenly introduced to children they had not seen for years?

Sammy hoped so. He wanted to raise his children well. And he wanted to help Jamie with the children he had with Liam. Poor Jamie still did not know if the twins Liam was carrying when he died had survived or not.

Isabelle settled quickly as Sammy gently lay her back in her cot. He turned to Rachel who was sleepily looking at him. She gurgled a little as he picked her up and moved back to the rocking chair. 

Meg had been genuinely surprised when they had told her the baby's name. She had told them it would be interesting having a little version of her running around. It had not taken long for Rachel to acquire the pet name of ‘Mini Meg’. They had all decided they would be forever trying to work out who was being referred to. Meg told them they could call her ‘Major Meg’ if they wanted, earning herself a playful slap on the arm from Jamie. She said Mini Meg would go far and that Isabelle probably would not be far behind. 

Another wave of relief from Jamie pushed through Sammy’s thoughts. He knew his mate's solo rut would not take long. If they had been sharing Sammy’s heat they would have been shut up for several days, but an Alpha could get through a rut on his own in a few hours, although Jamie would probably be tired afterwards. Sammy wondered if Daniel would watch the girls for a few hours so that he could spend some time with Jamie once his rut was over. Just being near to his mate would help him to recover quicker. 

Sammy knew Daniel would watch his daughters. The doting Alpha father had barely left them since they had returned from the hospital. He had been forced to send his mate to bed one night when he had woken to find Daniel sitting in the rocking chair just watching the girls sleeping. 

Rachel was looking at him as she fed, he smiled at his daughter, wondering what her life would be like. All their lives were changing, Sammy only hoped he could cope with it all. He knew his family would look after him whilst he adjusted. They all had to adjust but Sammy was probably going to have to adjust the most. He was looking forward to the challenge even if he was a little trepidatious about it.


	4. Chapter 4

Jamie woke with a start when the car hit a pothole. Sammy, who was sitting next to him, rested his hand on his mate’s thigh and squeezed his fingers. 

‘You’ve slept the whole way,’ said Sammy with a chuckle.

Jamie yawned, ‘sorry,’ he said.

He looked out of the window at the rolling countryside, the skeletal trees lining the other side of the empty field looked a little ominous. He knew they would look glorious in the spring and summer. He and Clive often ventured out into the countryside for long walks, Jamie wondered if he would still feel the need for freedom if they picked the house they were going to see. If they lived in the countryside would they still want to walk around in it? 

Although he did not feel like doing much walking at that moment. He was usually a bit tired after sharing a heat with his mate, but the solo rut had really left him exhausted. He wondered if it was because it had not lasted as long, and he had compressed the same amount of activity into a few hours. He had woken that morning to find Sammy curled up behind him, the soothing, healing vibes his Omega was giving off had helped to boost his energy for a few hours.

‘This one,’ Clive said from the front passenger seat.

Meg turned the car off the narrow road into an even narrower one. If they met anyone coming the other way one of them would have to reverse to find a passing point. 

The house they were going to see was perhaps a little outside their budget, but they wanted to have a look. If it was what they were looking for they intended to try to barter the price down a little. Sammy had described it to Jamie as they lay in bed that morning, telling him that it had enough rooms and a workshop for Daniel and space in the garden for Clive to have his vegetable patch. From the description, it seemed to tick all the boxes. Jamie was a little worried about how he would get to work when he finally managed to get another job, but he would work it out when he had to. 

One of the twins started to cry. Sammy twisted around to look at Daniel on the back row of seats. Jamie glanced back. His friend was sat by the twins who were strapped into their car seats. Isabelle was crying and squirming, she did not look happy.

‘I think she might need changing,’ said Daniel with a smile.

‘We’ll be there in a couple of minutes,’ said Meg over her shoulder as she slowed the car to turn a sharp bend in the road, ‘can she wait?’

‘If you can put up with her crying,’ replied Daniel.

Meg laughed, ‘I think we can manage a couple of- oh!’

Meg eased the car to a stop and stared out of the window. They all followed her gaze.

‘Is that it?’ Jamie asked as he looked at the large house in front of them. 

‘Yes,’ said Clive, ‘Mrs Walker said to just drive in and park up at the side there.’

As Meg slowly drove them through the gates at the side of the house Jamie had a good look. The house looked oddly bland from the front, with red brick walls and none of the fancy decorations or plastering that usually adorned big houses. The main door was large, centred over a couple of big steps. A small white canopy over it was held in place by two white pillars and formed the only decoration at the front. Equally sized windows, two each side of the door and three across the first floor completed the front. Jamie was not convinced the house would be big enough for five adults and seven children.

He quickly changed his mind as they got to the back of the house. The front was almost a facade, the main bulk of the house stretched back forming an ‘L’ or 'T' shaped building it was difficult to work out the layout from where they were. There were three floors, the first floor seemed to match the ground floor for size with the second floor a little smaller utilising loft space.

Jamie glanced at Daniel who was looking at the house intently.

‘Looks like a lot of work’s been done to it,’ he said. ‘That loft conversion is relatively new and this whole back piece is not original, it might have been a barn that’s been converted.’

‘We’re never going to be able to afford this,’ said Clive who was leaning down slightly to look through the windows on the other side of the car.

Meg turned off the ignition and opened the door before looking back at them all, ‘well we’re here now, we may as well have a look.’

Jamie stepped out of the car and looked up at the house for a few seconds before he saw the door open. The door at the side of the house was not as ostentatious as the one on the front. An older, grey-haired woman, Jamie guessed she was in her seventies, stepped out, she smiled. Jamie was sure the smile was genuine. He was used to being treated with indifference by most women. 

‘Hello, my dears,’ she said, her Irish lilt unmistakable. ‘Did you find it alright? Were the maps I emailed OK?’

The woman was talking to Clive who looked a little shocked. Jamie knew how his friend felt. He expected the woman’s friendly welcome to disappear once she realised Clive was a Beta. 

But he was wrong.

‘Don’t look so scared, Clive,’ said the woman. ‘I know you’re a Beta male. I just don’t care… And you’re the one who organised for your little troupe to come and view the property.’

Clive managed a smile and shook the woman’s hand.

‘I’m Phoebe Walker,’ she said. ‘And I am the current owner of Skulthorpe Manor. No idea where the name came from, but apparently it’s bad luck to change it so that’s what it has stayed as.’

She smiled again before turning to look at the rest of them.

‘I’ve just put the kettle on. I’ll make you all a drink and then you can have a look at the place.’

‘We just need to change one of the baby's nappies,’ said Sammy who still looked a little wary of the woman.

‘Not in the car, I hope,’ said Phoebe. ‘I’ll not have that. Bring them in. I’m sure I can cope with a little smelly baby.’

‘Thank you,’ said Meg who seemed just as shocked at the friendly woman as the rest of them were. 

Phoebe stepped up to Jamie and slipped her arm around his and walked towards the house. Jamie did not have a choice but to go where the old lady guided him.

‘Are you the father?’ she asked as they stepped into a small hallway lined with coats on hooks and a bench with shoes and boots underneath.

‘No,’ Jamie replied, ‘Danny is.’

‘That makes you James then,’ concluded Phoebe.

‘Jamie.’

Phoebe smiled, ‘Jamie,’ she repeated. ‘My friends just call me Feebs a lot of the time.’

As the rest of the family followed them into the kitchen, Phoebe enlisted Jamie to help her sort them all out with drinks. She sent Sammy and Daniel into the next room after handing them a couple of towels to lay on the couch when they changed Isabelle's nappy. Rachel, who was being held by her namesake, was watching their host carefully.

‘You look like you’re at ease holding the little one,’ remarked Phoebe as she readied a teapot.

Meg smiled, ‘I feel like I should make the effort, and this one is named after me as well.’

‘Baby Rachel,’ said Phoebe. ‘I asked Clive for all of your names, although he rather formally gave me your actual names and not what you all call each other.’

Meg laughed, ‘I go by my middle name. To my friend’s I’m Meg.’

Phoebe looked at her for a few seconds before saying, ‘may I call you Meg?’

Meg nodded with a smile, ‘as you can tell I am a progressive woman and am always thrilled to meet another and consider her a friend.’

‘Oh, I’ve been progressive since before it became the new fashion…’

Phoebe trailed off for a few seconds looking at Meg intently.

‘You’re her, aren’t you? You’re the one. The hero of the hour.’

Jamie watched as Meg blushed and looked embarrassed. 

‘Oh, my dear, I have nothing but admiration for what you have achieved. I’ve followed every development avidly. You boys must be proud of her?’

Jamie and Clive both nodded. 

‘Well,’ said Phoebe, ‘this calls for more than just tea and coffee. This calls for lemon drizzle cake.’

~A~B~O~

Daniel could not help but like the old lady. Phoebe was wealthy and very much an upper-class woman but at the same time, she was very down to earth. She told them, with a lot of self-loathing, that she had sometimes, in the past, sided with other women to keep the peace. She said it had always upset her to do so, to be part of the system that kept the males oppressed. When she had met her partner, who Phoebe occasionally referred to as her wife, she had finally been true to herself and become an out, progressive woman. As she started to show them around the house, she had explained that her equally progressive partner had died a couple of years before and Phoebe could not run the house on her own any longer. She intended to move permanently to her small apartment in the centre of London.

‘How many children will there be?’ she asked. 

When Daniel did not reply straight away, she looked at him quizzically. 

‘We’re not entirely sure,’ he said, keeping his voice low enough so as not to upset Jamie unnecessarily. ‘Our previous Omega, Liam, he died whilst he was pregnant with Jamie’s babies. We don’t know if they survived. We are working on the assumption that they did so there will be seven, three sets of twins and Sammy and Jamie’s son.’

‘I’m sorry to hear about Liam,’ said Phoebe as they reached a hallway.

They had left the twins sleeping in the lounge whilst Phoebe showed them around. She had already shown them around the ground floor rooms, pointing out a small sitting room that had previously been used as an office. Meg had nodded her approval of the idea.

Phoebe reached out her hand for Daniel to steady her as she climbed the stairs. 

‘There are seven double bedrooms on this side of the house and two above the kitchen extension. The seven here are spread across the two upper floors. Just have a wander around,’ she said with a wave of her hand towards the open doors leading off the landing and the stairs to the second floor. 

She let go of Daniel and wandered across to Sammy who looked a little overwhelmed.

‘Let me show you the master bedroom,’ she said as she took Sammy’s arm.

The Omega had quickly relaxed in her presence much as the rest of the family had, they disappeared through a doorway.

Daniel watched Jamie who looked oddly sad for a few seconds. Wondering what was wrong with his friend he indicated that they should investigate the second-floor rooms. 

Jamie led the way up the stairs. A small landing with three doors at the top of the landing opened onto two bedrooms and a small shower room. Jamie walked into one of the bedrooms and peered out of the window for a few seconds before turning back to Daniel.

‘We can’t afford this,’ he said. ‘If I use all my redundancy money, I’ll have nothing left to contribute… I’m trying to get another job… but no one wants an Alpha with a criminal record and a lack of intelligence.’

'You'll get there-'

'What if I don't?'

Daniel sighed, unable to come up with a response. He spent a few seconds looking at the bedroom they were standing in, he opened a door to find ample eaves storage. When he turned back to Jamie his friend had not moved.

He decided to take the initiative. 

‘Work for me,’ he said.

‘Sorry?’

‘Work for me.’

It was something Daniel had been considering for a while. He knew Jamie had a low opinion of himself, particularly after losing his job, despite the good payoff. 

‘I’m not a carpenter,’ said Jamie.

‘I’ll teach you.’

Before Jamie could respond they were interrupted by Phoebe and Sammy walking in.

‘The view from this room is good. You can see the sea. Only just mind, but it is there.’

Daniel could tell Sammy had fallen in love with the place and the enthusiasm from Clive when had he noticed the ample gardens was clear. 

He realised Phoebe was looking at him.

‘Meg says you’re a master carpenter,’ she said. ‘And that you’ve dealt with all the upkeep of your current home.’

Daniel nodded, ‘it was the workshop space that you have in the grounds here that put this place on our list of potential new homes.’

Phoebe nodded, ‘It’s a good space, I’m sure you could put it to good use, and you’ll have seen that rather scruffy building on the other side of the gardens there,’ she said pointing at the simple cottage which had seen better days. ‘Well, that is part of the property as well and I have planning permission for it to be turned into a cottage for let.’

Daniel nodded slowly again, not sure what the old lady was getting at. She chuckled. 

‘If it was done up - renovated - it could make your family an additional income. This is a popular spot for holidays. One of the estate agents I went to suggested selling the cottage and some of the land to a developer. But that would have been horrible, they would have knocked that sweet old cottage down and probably built four or five boxy houses in its place.’

Daniel smiled, ‘it would be a big project,’ he said before glancing at Jamie, ‘but since Jamie has just agreed to be my partner in the business, I think it can be done.’

‘Danny,’ protested Jamie, ‘I don’t know the first thing about building and decorating-’

‘But you can lift and carry, you can paint a wall… you can follow direction, you can learn.’

Phoebe was looking between the two of them with a smile.

‘You should accept that you won’t win,’ she said to Jamie, ‘and it would keep you both close to the rest of the family. Sammy was saying he’s a tiny bit apprehensive about suddenly having all those children running around. And I am sure just knowing both his Alpha’s are nearby will be a positive boon to him.’

Sammy nodded.

‘I’ll see how your friends are getting on,’ said Phoebe as she bustled out of the room, they could hear her carefully descending the stairs. 

‘Are you really going to work together?’ asked Sammy.

Daniel looked at Jamie who looked a little stunned.

‘I mean it, Jamie,’ he said. ‘It would be hard work; I don’t know what I’d be like as a teacher but I’d try to be good. If you’ll give me a chance, I’ll give you one. We would be partners in the business. I’ve still got to keep the furniture making side of things on the go to make some money, but with a bit of direction I’m sure you could deal with the cottage, and she’s right, we could make some money out of it.’

Jamie sniffed, trying not to cry, trying to remain the strong Alpha male that he was. Daniel stepped up to him and grabbed him in a brief hug.

‘We know you’ve been worried about money lately, even if we don’t get to buy this place, I’d still like you to work with me, together we can expand the business a bit.’

Jamie nodded, ‘thank you,’ he said with an unusual shyness. 

Sammy was looking out of the window, ‘it is a lovely house, isn’t it? Wish we could afford it.’

~A~B~O~

‘Now,’ said Phoebe when they had all returned to the kitchen. ‘I know you can’t actually afford this place. The estate agent accidentally included me in an email to Clive of a list of houses she thought would be suitable and they were all a couple of hundred thousand pounds cheaper than this place.’

Clive could not help the guilty look he had. Phoebe smiled at him.

‘She also told me that there had not been much interest in this place because of the previous owners… It has a dark history you see.’

They all looked a little worried by the remark.

She chuckled, ‘there hasn’t been a murder here or anything, but the previous owners were ultra-conservative. They were to sort of women who wanted to see all the men kept in cages and only used for the purposes of hard labour and breeding. They were the sort that backed that horrific anti Beta bill a few years ago.’

Phoebe, who was sitting next to Clive, reached out and took his hand, holding it tightly. 

‘I don’t need the asking price,’ continued Phoebe, ‘I was already independently wealthy before my wife died. She left me a lot of money in her will. And the money from this place only needs to see me out in a comfortable manner. I am one of the upper class after all and I have reached the point where I don’t think I could rough it.’

Clive wondered what the old lady was going to suggest as a knocked down price for the property. When she had left them alone to talk, they had all said they liked it and wanted to live there. And they had all agreed it probably would not happen, but it was fun to imagine. They had spent a few minutes working out who would have which rooms they would take and where all the children would sleep. Meg had suggested with a subtle look at him that they would take the two rooms over the kitchen away from everyone else. Clive knew the privacy that would give them would be most welcome, they would be able to be together far more frequently.

‘I think,’ continued Phoebe, ‘that having a progressive woman and her friends live here as one big happy family would be very ironic after the previous owners.’

She looked at them each for a few seconds before speaking again.

‘I’m going to knock four hundred thousand off the asking price,’ she held up a hand to stop Meg and Daniel protesting, ‘on the condition that you look after the place, do up that cottage and let me come and visit you occasionally. And Clive I want you to keep those roses going, my late wife planted them.’

‘Phoebe,’ said Meg, ‘that’s too much to take off-’

It was Sammy who stopped Meg speaking the second time. He turned to Phoebe.

‘We would be honoured to live here,’ he said. ‘You are the kindest woman - apart from Meg - that I have ever met.’

Clive looked at Daniel and Jamie who were both nodding. Phoebe looked at Clive.

‘I’ll look after the roses for you,’ he said.

Phoebe smiled, ‘your menfolk have overruled you,’ she said to Meg with a wink, ‘this is what happens when you give them too much freedom… they make sensible decisions.’


	5. Chapter 5

_A few weeks later… ___

__Meg looked over the seemingly endless list of things she had to do. Even though the rest of the family had told her they would do the lion share of packing there were still things she needed to do for herself._ _

__She had to contact various people and companies to give them her new address, she had to cancel some things and start others. She sighed, dropping her phone into her lap, she watched as the screen showing her ‘to do’ list dimmed for a few seconds before switching off._ _

__‘Is there anything I can do?’ asked Sammy who was buttoning up his shirt after feeding baby Rachel._ _

__‘Not really,’ said Meg with a smile, ‘it’s just emails and phone calls, it’s tedious. I thought the move would be fun… I suppose it is, but it’s a lot of hard work as well.’_ _

__‘I wish I could help out a bit more,’ said Sammy._ _

__‘You’re still recovering from the birth, and you’re doing pretty much all the work with the babies so that Danny can get on with packing things up.’_ _

__They had been forced to ban Sammy from doing too much after he had managed to exhaust himself almost to the point of collapse a couple of weeks previously and ended up spending most of the next day in bed resting. They had all started keeping a careful eye on their Omega after that._ _

__Jamie had, after a bit of persuasion, agreed to take Daniel up on the offer of a partnership but insisted that he wasn’t going to take a full wage until he could properly earn it. The pair had decided that Jamie would deal with the majority of the packing whilst Daniel finished off the final few orders he had before the moving date. He would take a break for a few weeks whilst they settled into the new house and had a proper look at what would need to be done to renovate the little cottage on the grounds._ _

__Phoebe had invited the two Alpha’s to visit as often as they needed to take measurements and even to start moving some items. The old lady had already had most of her furniture moved or sold. The generous woman was even leaving a few of the larger items of furniture behind. She had told them she would not have room in her London apartment and knew that they would not have enough items to properly furnish the much larger property._ _

__Both the Alpha’s had been at the new house for most of the day; Meg suspected the old lady liked the company. She could well imagine her plying them both with more of her delicious homemade lemon drizzle cake._ _

__‘Have you worked out when we’ll get Henry back?’_ _

__Meg was snapped from her reverie. She looked at Sammy who was rubbing the baby’s back as she lay over his shoulder._ _

__‘Are you still worrying about it?’ she asked._ _

__They all knew that Sammy was a little worried he would have to take on all the children himself, despite them telling him, several times, that he would not have to deal with them alone. As the Omega of the pack, it was in his nature to be a caring individual but to suddenly have to look after several children, some of which weren’t even his was obviously a daunting prospect._ _

__‘The first children to be repatriated are the youngest,’ she reminded him, ‘Henry’s just over two now, so there are going to be quite a few ahead of him in the queue. I think it will be a few more weeks yet. We’ll be settled at the new house. And we don’t have to get him straight away. A lot of families are asking for a bit more time to either move or make changes to their homes.’_ _

__Sammy nodded slowly. He still looked worried._ _

__‘We’ll muddle through it somehow,’ said Meg, hoping she sounded reassuring._ _

__‘I know,’ replied Sammy quietly._ _

__A tap at the door made baby Rachel wriggle a little. Sammy eased himself up to stand and bounced up and down a little to settle the slightly agitated baby before walking to the door. Meg watched Sammy as he shifted the baby slightly before reaching out for the door catch. The Omega was very determined that he would do most things himself, they had quickly learned only to help him if he really needed it._ _

__Sammy smiled as he pulled the door open._ _

__‘Hello Michael,’ he said._ _

__‘Sammy,’ replied the Alpha on the doorstep, ‘not a bad time is it? I’m not disturbing you all am I?’_ _

__‘No,’ said Sammy as he stepped aside to allow Michael in._ _

__The former family Alpha smiled at Meg as he wandered across to the couch, pausing to look at the other baby in her crib. Michael had been retired from his breeding duties for some years and did not visit them often. He had been the lead Alpha when Daniel had joined the pack. Michael, who was in his late forties, lived on the other side of the town and managed a small mechanics business._ _

__‘I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when Danny told me he was going to be a father. I’d have come over sooner but I’m guessing you’ve all been busy with these two and the move.’_ _

__‘Danny and Jamie are over at the new house now,’ said Meg before looking at her watch, ‘although they’ll be back soon. They wanted to measure up a few things before the move next week.’_ _

__Meg glanced at the boxes already piled up with packed belongings._ _

__Sammy, who had settled himself on the couch next to Michael said, ‘Clive’s out in the back garden trying to decide which plants he wants cuttings from to start in our new garden.’_ _

__Michael nodded his approval._ _

__‘And you, Mike,’ said Meg. ‘How are you? Looking forward to meeting your children… I hope.’_ _

__Michael laughed, ‘yes, Meg, I am looking forward to meeting them. A bit apprehensive, I’ll admit, but I’m curious to see what they are like. I will also admit to being glad they’re a bit older. Sarah and Thomas are both eighteen, so they’ll both stay in the home until Sarah gets a place of her own and Thomas is placed with a pack. But I will get to meet them and be a part of their lives if they want. Although I’m not really sure how I would have coped with a woman and an Omega.’_ _

__Meg nodded, ‘I know, the enormity of what I’ve put in motion has really started to hit me in the last few weeks. There’s so much to consider, including some things I didn’t consider, which is annoying. I’m just glad we’re taking our time, giving people a chance to adapt to the changes and decide how they want to deal with it.’_ _

__‘You’ve done an amazing thing,’ reassured the Alpha. ‘It’s going to take time to get it working smoothly. There will be issues but you’ll deal with them.’_ _

__‘Thank you,’ said Meg. ‘I was only living here a few months before you retired, Mike, but I do value your opinion. Without you accepting me into the family I don’t think I would have been able to properly understand the conditions that you live under.’_ _

__Meg had wanted to live with a family rather than on her own as soon as she had been able to leave the home she had been brought up in. Most women either lived with other women when they left the group home or lived alone. Some wanted to live with a pack, but a lot of packs, understandably, did not want a woman living with them. Michael and the other members of the pack at the time had been very welcoming of her. She had been able to get them a few privileges, not least a home in a better area of the town._ _

__‘I’m glad you’re in a humble thankful mood,’ said Michael. ‘I have a favour to ask.’_ _

__‘Of course,’ replied Meg._ _

__Michael turned to Sammy, ‘I’d like your blessing on this as well, so I’m glad you’re here.’_ _

__Meg watched Sammy’s expression turn to one of confusion._ _

__‘It’s nothing to worry about, Sammy,’ reassured Michael. ‘My younger son, Graham, the lad I had with Liam, he's going to be sixteen now. I’m pretty sure I can look after a sixteen-year-old Alpha male. I’ll enjoy teaching him how to behave and respect his Omega and his pack when he gets one. But…’_ _

__Michael paused for a few seconds, Sammy had guessed what Michael wanted to ask._ _

__‘You’d like him to get a bit of exposure to family life for real,’ said Sammy._ _

__Michael nodded, ‘would it be OK if I brought him around to meet you all. Maybe make a thing of it… all of us getting together occasionally. The older two as well?’_ _

__‘Mike,’ said Meg, ‘there is not going to be a right or wrong way to deal with what is going to be happening over the coming months. Bringing extended families together is probably going to be quite common I’d have thought. I think it would be lovely.’_ _

__Michael looked at Sammy who nodded. Michael looked relieved._ _

__A car door being closed and voices outside the door made them all look over. As Daniel and Jamie walked in Michael rose from the couch._ _

__‘Mike!’ said Daniel with a broad grin. ‘How are you?’_ _

__‘I am fine. But I am more interested in how you are?’_ _

__Daniel looked at Sammy and the baby he was still holding with a fond smile._ _

__‘You would not believe how happy I am,’ he said._ _

__Michael grabbed his friend in a firm embrace, slapping him on the back a couple of times._ _

__‘I am pleased for you, and you Sammy, I know you felt under a lot of pressure to get pregnant for him.’_ _

__Sammy nodded, ‘it was not a pleasant few months,’ he agreed._ _

__‘Will you stay for dinner?’ asked Daniel._ _

__‘Are you cooking?’_ _

__Daniel nodded._ _

__‘Damn right I’m staying then. I think the only time I really enjoy a meal now is when I’m here. I’ve never had the touch in the kitchen that you have.’_ _

__He grabbed Daniel by the shoulder and propelled him towards the kitchen, ‘point me at some veg and I’ll do some chopping up for you.’_ _

__Meg watched them go. She smiled, she knew they still had a lot of work to do before they would be settled in their new home and could start thinking about the children’s arrival. She had a lot of work to do getting ministers on her side and ironing out the issues they kept finding._ _

__They were all gradually adapting to the new way of life. It was going to be tough but they would get there._ _

__The End._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it. 
> 
> I am starting to plan the next story where the first of the children will be returned. Sammy and Jamie will get to meet their son again.


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